Optical waveguides, particularly fiber optical bundles have received widespread use in a variety of applications. Common among these are uses in communication and medicine. In such applications, it is desirable to orient a fiber optical bundle with a light source, and in particular with a lens which concentrates or focuses light along an axis. For instance, optimum light transmission has been found to occur when the planar face of an optical bundle is placed adjacent to a spherical lens so that the face of the lens forms a tangent to the surface of the lens.
This structure has been accomplished conventionally by mounting the optical fiber in a mounting which fixes the optical fiber to the lens, preventing subsequent relative shifting between them. However, it is desirable to interchange optical waveguides with light sources. With the fixed structure, this is not possible without tearing apart an existing coupling and rebuilding it with substituted parts. This is an expensive and time consuming solution.
A preferred solution is to make the waveguide removable relative to the light source and/or lens. An example of one such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,075, entitled "Light Source for Optical Waveguide Bundle", naming Cook et al. as inventors. Cook et al. disclose an optical fiber bundle mounted in a termination ferrule which exposes the planar face of the optical bundle. A flange on the ferrule is used to secure the bundle into a light-source containing housing. In this housing a resilient sleeve receives the ferrule in a manner sandwiching a spherical lens between the fiber optic bundle face and a window adjacent the light source. Optionally, a window may be placed between the lens and the optical bundle face.
The Cook et al. connector is intended for relatively permanent installation since it would be difficult to insert and remove the ferrule from the resilient sleeve. Further, the face of the bundle physically contacts the lens or the window. Such contact, if repeated, would quickly fracture the optical bundle adjacent the face, deteriorating its light transmitting capabilities.